In the aftermath of UFC 313, Alex Pereira lost the light heavyweight title to Magomed Ankalaev. The realignment of potential opponents for Jon Jones has taken on a new shape following this bout. Pereira was one of Jones’ possible opponents stemming from his willingness to engage in a super fight touted as a booster to both fighters’ legacies. Now, with Poatan losing, that matchup is all but erased from consideration.
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Current Heavyweight Division Landscape
In the backdrop of this defeat for Pereira, all the focus will now turn towards the heavyweight division, with Jon Jones standing as the Undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion. The most probable interesting challenge for Jones appears to be Tom Aspinall, who is the interim heavyweight champion. Aspinall has not lacked any willingness to unify the heavyweight titles as he is on a roll in his recent matches.
Importance of Legacy
Jon Jones has survived debates placing him amongst the greatest mixed martial artists and yet should simply state that the high-caliber challenges all fall towards him. A throwdown with the English man will not only push “Bones” to prove himself against a worthy opponent but represent an opportunity through which he could defend his title against the next big thing. This showdown between the two fighters would serve to further entrench Jones’ legacy or pave the way into the next chapter of development for Aspinall.
Dana White’s Stance on Jon Jones’ Next Fight
The UFC CEO Dana White has shown interest in Jones squaring off against Aspinall; he renewed this willingness in his comments following UFC 313 and marking the fact that the negotiations should be active on the table with apparently no complaints from the side of either fighter.
After successfully defending his title last November, Jon Jones gave a hint of his retirement instead of uniting the title against Aspinall. Despite that, Dana White remained interested in conducting the negotiation match with Bones, and it was fully confidential it has seemed.
Conclusion
All such aspects factor in together demonstrating that with the loss coming through UFC 313, Aspinall remains present as interim champion while Dana White tries his best to try to make the matchup an eventual next thing for Jones. This fight upholds both the competitive integrity of UFC while promising to be a true spectacle for the fans who want to see how well these two elite fighters match up.
Aditya Khare